The clash over the legacy of Matteo Biffoni and the vision that becomes more local. The electoral campaign to write a new page for Prato was played on the themes that characterize the races of this era in the cities, with the most debated proposals concerning safety, mobility and decorum.
However, everything was constantly discussed in terms of continuity and discontinuity compared to the ten-year era of the outgoing mayor of the city. The centre-left led by regional councilor Ilaria Bugetti (Pd) has chosen to tell a different story, also modifying the coalition with a shift to the left: Prato is the largest city in Italy voting in this round in which M5s, the Green Alliance left and dem are together in the first round.
The right led by the lawyer Gianni Cenni, of Fratelli d’Italia, presents itself united with the opposite narrative: distancing itself from each of the initiatives of the last two legislatures. The other four candidates running in Prato are on the spectrum that goes from the left to the center – Paola Battaglieri and Mirko Castellani linked to the communist proposal, Jonathan Targetti and Mario Daneri on more moderate positions – with a role that could prove decisive in the case of a possible runoff.
The second largest municipality in Tuscany, however, seems to have discovered itself, a few hours after the vote, vulnerable and disoriented: once again grappling with yet another attempt at redemption – after the flood six months ago – and with a strong demand for politics that appears difficult to intercept. And once again compared with the main theme in the city that was the locomotive of the region: work. Prato has no intention of losing the opportunity to carry out self-analysis through the lens of the campaign: despite the fact that it has achieved numerous Italian records over time, from that of gambling (with an expenditure of 1800 euros per capita) to the percentage of foreign citizens compared to the resident population (about a quarter out of 200 thousand), the territory continues to base its reflections on the conditions of employment and business.
However, trade to be revitalized and tourism to be launched have entered into this reflection, once limited to the dominant sector alone: there are 14 thousand companies in the tertiary sector, which exceed in number the sum of the Italian textile companies – mainly led by Italians – and those of mainly oriental-led clothing. In general it was noted that the dispute focused much more on local issues than on the city’s vision for its future.
The poison of the campaign has finally arrived with its tail. The investigation by the anti-mafia prosecutor’s office which last week involved the world of business and law enforcement in Prato has created a difficult climate: head-on attacks have started, relations have become tense and tensions are rife to be dissolved only after the outcome of the polls.
